The ESRC and AHRC invite full applications from researchers from across the social sciences, arts and humanities for a number of high profile research fellowships, as part of the RCUK Global Uncertainties: Security for All in a Changing World Programme. Within the overarching theme of this programme, this fellowship call focuses specifically on how ideas and beliefs of individuals, communities and nation states relate to the five global phenomena identified by the programme.
£5.5m has been allocated for these fellowships, each of which may be for up to 3 years duration and may commence from March 2009 onwards. The upper limit for the fellowships will be circa £600k (FEC). Fellowships may include provision for linked studentships or related capacity building activities; research assistance; international networking, including a period visiting overseas or a linked visiting fellow; stakeholder engagement and communication activities, including placements within a relevant stakeholder organisation.
Fellowship applications under this call must address one or more of the following key research areas:
a. How do individuals and communities develop their ideas and beliefs about security and insecurity?
b. Why do some ideas and beliefs lead to conflict, violence or criminal activity? What lessons can we learn from a) above that provide the basis for countering those ideas and beliefs that reinforce conflict, violence and crime?
c. How do issues around the cycle of knowledge production and use interact with the creation, management and resolution of insecurities?
d. How are risks and threats communicated, constructed, represented and received by key actors and communities, using different media and cultural forms for different audiences, including the use of language, images and symbolism?
e. Is there an acceptable balance between national security needs and the protection of civil liberties and human rights? If so, can one be secured? And how do we balance local needs against global responsibilities within a security context?
f. How should institutions with responsibility for different aspects of a broad security agenda, including security forces themselves, evolve to meet new risks and threats?
Proposals addressing the interaction between these questions/areas and applications which challenge existing policy or practice assumptions and/or consider alternative framing or approaches to addressing these priority research areas will be welcomed.
Applications are open to both senior/professorial level researchers and to researchers at an earlier stage in their research career
looking to achieve an international research leadership role during the period of the fellowship (minimum 3 years post-doctoral, or equivalent, research experience). Applications from leading overseas researchers seeking to conduct research on a relevant topic at an eligible UK research institution will also be welcomed. Applications from researchers who have not previously worked on security issues but wish to apply their expertise to research in this more broadly construed security agenda are encouraged.
Successful applications will demonstrate the promise of world class research which will significantly advance understanding in the chosen field and further appropriate user engagement and knowledge exchange.
The deadline is strictly 16:00 hours
The call is being administered by the ESRC, but the ESRC and AHRC will work together in a joint peer review and decision-making process. Further details, including information on how to apply, the ESRC/AHRC Fellowships (Global Uncertainties RCUK Programme) Specification Document and RCUK strategic framework for the Global Uncertainties: Security for All in a Changing World programme can be found on the ESRC website.
Arts and Humanities Community
The AHRC already supports significant amounts of research from across the full spectrum of arts and humanities research that is directly or indirectly relevant to the Programme. Such research is critical to understanding both different concepts of security and the role of history, culture, ideas, beliefs, identities, legal systems, language and literature, the arts, media and cultural activities play in the development of different security challenges. It is also vital in developing understanding and approaches that might help to address contemporary security challenges. The arts and humanities can make a significant contribution towards the research areas outlined for this programme. There are key questions within the programme specification in areas as diverse as:
- the development of ideas and beliefs about security and insecurity in religious, secular and cultural communities
- how historic conflicts and narratives are perpetuated
- media, artistic and cultural representations concerning security
- propagating and countering threats with language, image and symbolism
- security and legal and ethical frameworks
- the influence of cultural and artistic activities on ideas and beliefs and their potential to help address past, current and future conflicts
- the challenges security issues pose to legal systems
These are all particularly pertinent for arts and humanities researchers and they are at the forefront of tackling security issues. The programme also gives arts and humanities researchers the opportunity to work with other disciplines to produce multidisciplinary research, (although for this call this is not obligatory for each project).
If you have further queries please contact GUfells@esrc.ac.uk, or telephone:
Lyndy Griffin, ESRC: 01793 413135
Mary Day, ESRC: 01793 413078
The AHRC work with the RCUK Shared Services Centre (SSC) to deliver all of our funding activities. All queries regarding eligibility for funding and applications in progress and also queries regarding current awards, should be directed to the SSC team dealing with your subject area using the contacts page.